Last month, Virat Kohli found himself at the centre of Test comeback speculation not once, but multiple times — ironically in the same month that marked a year since his shock retirement from the format.
It began when Kohli gifted a red-ball-themed pair of shoes to his childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma. The veteran coach’s reaction immediately caught attention: “I always remember why red-ball cricket was important for you.” Days later, Rajkumar further fuelled the chatter when he said on a podcast, “We are talking about it… let’s see what happens.”
As if that wasn’t enough, social media went into overdrive again after Kohli appeared alongside Ravi Shastri on a podcast wearing a sweater that many fans felt resembled traditional Test cricket attire.
Speaking at the launch of his One8 footwear line in New Delhi, Kohli was asked by host Danish Sait whether the pricing of the new “Red Shoe” — INR 9,230, matching the exact number of runs he scored in Test cricket — was a subtle hint about a return to the longest format.
Kohli quickly shut down the speculation.
“Na na, I would rather undersell… I’m done with it (Test cricket),” he said.
The remark effectively ended weeks of fan theories and comeback rumours.
Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025, bringing down the curtain on one of the most celebrated red-ball careers in Indian cricket history. He finished with 9,230 runs from 123 Tests at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries and seven double hundreds.
